Local students excel in classroom

Hard work and excellence gets state ranking for the RHS Class of 2009 and Lawson High School Class of 2010.
Julie Stevenson, curriculum director for Richmond, was eastatic about RHS’s state ranking.
“The high school has been identified as Top 10 in 11th grade communication arts for spring 2008 MAP testing. This is the first time Richmond has earned this honor (it hasn’t been awarded since 2001),” gushed Stevenson. “We have never been on this list for scores, but have been honored for improvement. This is Huge!”
The high scores for the junior class earned them a sixth place ranking in communication arts, where the state average number of students scoring in the advanced or proficient range was 39.2 percent. An impressive 48.5 percent of Richmond’s juniors made the advanced or proficient list.
“This shows that we’re making the move toward the top,” said Richmond Superintendent Jim Robins.
Still beaming from ear to ear, Stevenson continued: “ It means that across the state of Missouri, for mid-sized schools (250-500 students), Richmond is in the Top 10 based on their raw scores! I am SO excited!”
“Julie Stevenson received word last Wednesday [about the state ranking]. She contacted me and was so thrilled for us,” said RHS English teacher Jill Pence. “Sara Seidel and I make up the English team at the high school. We are very proud of our students. They gave the communication arts test their all last spring.”
“This is an honor for the high school, all the teachers who worked with these students and the Class of 2009!” Stevenson said.
Lawson High School sophomores earned their Top 10 ranking, as the second highest school in the 250-500 student category, in the Math portion of the Map tests, with 67.6 percent of the students scoring in the advanced or proficient levels. The state average is 46.2 percent.
As schools approach MAP testing in the next weeks, parents are encouraged to see that their students get plenty of rest to be better prepared for the testing schedule.